Iors Girl
by redtopaz
Summary: A vrey straight young woman dresses up as a boy to escape death and joins the Fellowship on the way.^^
1. False Acusations

AN- lalalalala… Had a cute story idea… Wrote it down… The norm. It's 'bout a young Dunlandian girl that, pretty much, is forced to flee her Clan after being falsely accused of a crime. She disguises herself as a boy to throw off her trackers and bumps into Rivendell (or Rohan, or someplace like that…) about half a year before the Council to determine the fate of the ring. She joins the fellowship (still disguised as a boy) and sets out with them. After crossing through the Mines of Moria, she meets her long-time child hood friend and beseeches the Fellowship to take her friend with them. Galadriel and Frodo discover her, but neither of them reveals her secret. So this is the story of Ioret, the non-lesbo who dresses up as a boy and joins the Fellowship. Keep tight, sit back, and watch the paper clip as we begin count down. _3-2-1-_

**DISCLAIMER!!!!-**Yes that's right. The Disclaimer!!! JRR Tolkein owns every little piece of middle earth, EXCEPT Ioret and Mena. Nope, he doesn't own them… **;P **

Nywayz… And now, it is my privilege, as well as my pleasure, to welcome you to the first ever RedTopaz LOTR Fic. I would like to thank you all for coming to night. I can assure you it means very much to everyone who made this fic possible. So, without further adieu, Ladies and Gentlemen… _Ior's Girl!!!_

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"Get out of here, you rouge!" Iorets step faltered as she heard the sound of the angry voice call out from within the nearby building.  She had been out on a walk when she had originally first heard the shouting. Ioret took a startled step backwards as a red clay mug came crashing through the middle window of the wooden building, shattering the murky glass that had covered the window. She heard another outraged cry as there was a second crash of shattering glass. The young woman had to cover her head with her arms to protect her self from the flying glass shards as a black, much larger object came hurdling through the second window to the right. The figure rose, She could not clearly see the face because of the blackness, but she could make out the bow and brown muslin sack that had been swung over the black shoulder. The form took a fleeting glance at her, allowing her to see the flash in the abnormally blue eyes, and then it turned, sprinting off in the opposite direction. Ioret stood there, gazing quietly after the man in a static state, unsure of what to do next. She only dimly heard the irate voices of the patrol as they rounded the street corner. Even though she had her back to them, she knew they were standing just behind her. She could feel the heat from their torches and the glare of their eyes though she stood a good ten feet a way from them. Ioret was lost. All she could do was stare offhandedly into the black night. She barely seemed to notice when the patrol surrounded her and the commanding officers came foreword to question her. She was brought back from her silent thoughts by a rough hand, brutally shaking he shoulder.

"Well, Girl? Where'd ye stash it? Such greedy little hands like yours move quickly. Now, tell us what you did with 'em!" Ioret only briefly dared a look up. What she saw was a leering soldier, growling and snarling at her, showing a mass of missing teeth and badly chapped lips. Ioret continued to stare up at him, not showing any emotion on her young, deeply tanned face. 

"Do with what?" she asked in a small, barely audible voice. The man snarled again, threateningly tightening his grip on her shoulder. 

"You know what! Where are the two elfish candlesticks you stole? Both of them would have brought a fortune in trade." His gloved hand was gripping her arm so hard that Ioret could not help but give a yelp as his fingers dug into her muscle. Ioret remained silent. The man demanded a response of her for the second time and then, after receiving none, drew back his arm as menacingly as if to strike her. Ioret winched as his leather-covered palm came rapping across her cheek. Ignoring the fuzzy, tingling sensation in her face, Ioret lowered her gaze and proceeded concentrating, with great intensity, on the black ground. She could hardly see her brown, deer-hide ankle boots through the night's darkness and she was only fuzzily aware of the soldiers call for a torch. She looked up to watch the flame as the light was brought towards her. 

"Let's get a good look at you…" The man carrying the torch said, bringing the light up close to her face. Ioret could see the dust hidden in the creases of the man's face and the reflection of the firelight off his grayish-white hair that was so unlike her own rich, chocolate brown locks. Just after the light had hit her face, a young recruit, probably only seventeen or eighteen, pushed his way to the front of the circle. 

"I know her! She's the Coopers [1] Apprentice. I've seen her at his shop." The young man proclaimed in an excited voice. 

"Ioret. You know, Hagal's daughter." The young soldier pointed to her. The older man leaned back on his heels, as if considering what the youth had said, and then, handing off the torch to the soldier with the leather gloves, began to walk around Ioret, inspecting her like she was some mere ox that had been set up to sale at the market. Ioret could see his hot breath rise up into the chilly night air as he turned her head to inspect her throbbing cheek.

"Well, well, well. Hagal's daughter, the thief. She hasn't said a word about those candleholders yet, has she? Well, I suspect will have to take her in front of him tomorrow. We'll need to lock her up in the mean time. C'mon let's move." With that, the man turned and parted the circle as he made his way to the Barers. Ioret knew very well who "he" was. The leader. Her punishment would not be light. She knew she was already convicted, and there was no evidence that could prove otherwise. Ioret let out a labored, unconscious sigh as she was forced up by the patrol and made to fallow to the prison or, as some would have it, the Barers. 

Ioret fallowed in silence and submission for most of the short walk across the Clan grounds, only breaking once when the party was interrupted by Mena, a dear friend of Ioret's who had been out in search of the missing girl. Ioret had hurriedly shouted out her explanation to Mena asking her to inform her family, but was allowed little time as the guards pressed on. The Dunlandian Bear Clan was not very tolerant of much of anything. The worst she had to fear was death. The walk had not been long and Ioret was not especially distraught with having to sleep on the floor, she just hoped that Mena had reached her family with the news. Her only worry was that Mena would pull something silly and try to get her out. 

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Footnotes^^

Cooper- One who makes barrels, hogsheads, casks, etc. 

--^-^--

Thanks for reading. CH 2 soon to come. I corrected all the fuzzy little grammar mistakes. Sorry to everyone who read before the corrections. Nywayz. Hope you had fun^^

Ja

~redtopaz


	2. Saved By The Burn

Ioret laid on her back staring up at the ceiling. It was a cold, stony floor. She slowly sat up to find herself in a very elegant dress. Possibly elvish. It was beautiful, except, the hem was ripped off, leaving the end of the dress in tatters. The room was vast and empty and Ioret soon found her self wandering around the room. She continued to walk until she found a lone piece of furniture. A mirror. She walked up to it. Her reflection was different. Her long, mahogany coloured hair had been cut short at the shoulders and hung in a short braid down her neck. Her tanned skin lay hidden under a man's tunic and her arm bracelet was gone. She reached out to touch the mirror, but as soon as her hand came in contact with it, she heard panicked screams and the glassy surface grew unbearably hot, and even though she had removed her hand, she could still feel the burning sensation and terrified screams. As the heat began to engulf her mind, her world began to slowly fade to darkness and she could hear a pounding noise in the distance… 

Ioret sat up with a start, still quite flushed from her dream. She sat for a while, breathing in slowly and listening to the distant banging… Banging?! Iorets head shot up and she jumped to her feet. Now she could hear, and smell, it. Fire. The village was on fire and someone was banging incessantly on the locked prison door. Ioret started to run up to the heavy wooden door way, when she heard an unsettling crunch and a triumphant yell from the other side of the wall. Within seconds, the door had been unhinged and knocked down. When the dust and hay cleared Ioret was shocked to see the two figures on the other side of the wall. Mena and her betrothed, Hctor, Son of Gaman, stood in the door frame, panting and perspiring heavily. Mena smiled at the sight of her friends and ran to give her a loving hug. 

"Io. It worked!!" Mena cried, flinging her arms around the slightly taller girl. Ioret could smell the sweat on Menas vest. Ioret went rigid as realization dawned on her.

"Mena, YOU set fire to the VILLAGE?!" Ioret gasped in disbelief and shock. The small emery haired girl pulled back and looked Ioret in the face. 

"Not the village, Io, just the loggers cabin. That place is always catching on fire anyways…" Mena pouted, sticking her pink lower lip out. Ioret just shook her head and turned to Hctor. 

"And you let her get away with this?" Ioret asked disapprovingly. Hctor just shrugged and put aside the ax he had been using to cut through the door. 

"It was already ablaze by the time I got to her. You can't push this on me, Io. She's your friend." He said with a sigh. Ioret could feel steam coming out her eyeballs. 

"She's YOUR wife!!!" she practically shouted. Hctor just put on a sideways grin and tossed Ioret a bag. 

"Future wife. Here. I found this on her when I caught up to her. For some reason, she was under the silly notion that you were going to escape… She even pulled one of the horses out of the shelter. It waiting outside for you as we speak." He said, ushering the two girls out of the room. Mena just smiled broadly and nodded her head in confirmation. 

"Mhm. Now. I packed it up for you. It's got all the necessities. Dried bread, fresh water, spare laces, a couple of Hctors outfits, A-" Mena didn't get to finish when Hctor interrupted.

"My what? You gave her MY clothes? What's wrong with yours? Or maybe even _her own _clothes. Hmm?" Hctor folded his arms over his chest. Mena just gave a tired sigh.

"Yes, yours. She needs a disguise and it's not safe for girls to travel alone." Mena stated pointedly. Mena shook her head as if she had just stated the obvious. "Okay." Mena continued on to give Ioret her marching order. "You're going to ride out, and then, after I've cleared a few things up, I'm going to come out behind you." Mena was about to continue when Hctor cut in again. 

"You're leaving, too. Why? What did you do? You can't leave Mena." He desperately tried to reckon with the young black haired girl. Mena placed a comforting hand on Hctors shoulder and then leaned her head affectionately on his other one. She began gently stroking his hair. 

"Hctor." She said, pulling away a bit. "Hctor, I have to go. Ioret wont make it on her own. I promise I'll come back for you." She said softly. Hctor pulled away this time.

"Then I'm going to. I'll ride out with Ioret." He said. Mena bit down on her bottom lip. 

"You cant. We need you here to throw them off the trail. Ioret was accused of thievery and murder. Apparently who ever robbed the house had to kill the owner to get out of it. You know no one in the Clan will let that go. Within a week almost all of middle earth will be on the look out for her. We just need to make sure that their looking in all the wrong places, and that's why you've got to stay here. C'mon. Be a man! Brave the wrath of the Bear Clan." Mena said encouragingly, giving Hctor a playful punch in the arm. He didn't think it was so funny, but he did, however, reluctantly agree to stay behind. Mena continued to give Ioret instructions when, almost instantly, Hctor stopped, changed directions, and came back carrying a sheathed soldiers dagger. 

"Ioret. Turn around." He said in a firm, demanding tone. Ioret paused and gave him a suspicious look, but complied and turned to show him her back size. Before either of the girls knew what was going on, Hctor grabbed a fist full of Iorets hair, brought out the dagger and, "slash", cut off her thick, waist long hair abruptly at the shoulders. Ioret was in shock. She had never seen so much hair on the ground at once. Her hair to be exact. She almost fell over. Hctor sighed, sheathed the dagger and handed it to Ioret. 

"Boys don't wear their hair that long…" He said before turning again and heading back through the hall. He stopped just before the exit and turned to the stunned Ioret. "Goodbye, Io. I'll miss you." He gave a curt nod to Mena and then turned and left. Mena eyes blurred, but she quickly blinked it back and turned to usurer Ioret out of the building. Mena spent several minutes trying to convince Ioret to leave and even more time trying to wrestle her onto the horse. As Ioret headed to the gate, she turned back to Mena.

"You promise you'll come up behind?" Ioret asked worriedly. Mena nodded. "And Hctor will keep them off the trail?" Ioret asked again. Mena just nodded her head. "And… And whose horse is this?" Ioret suddenly asked, looking down at the brown haired beast that she rode upon. Mena paused, as if thinking and then shrugged.

"Who knows? As long as it gets you there…" Mena thought aloud. Ioret almost fell off. 

"What?! Oh, great! So now I'm a murderer, a thief, and a horse-napper. Thanks. Mena you idiot…" Ioret shook her head in disbelief. Mena gave a small giggle and patted Iorets knee. 

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is getting you out of here. The fire is spreading, but we only have a few seconds left." Mena explained sadly. Ioret smiled and the two girls exchanged temporary goodbyes. As Ioret rode out through he gate, she turned and called out to Mena over her shoulder.

"Catch up soon, Mena! I'll be waiting!" Ioret turned back and nudged the horse to a canter, not looking back again. As soon as Ioret had gotten a few miles away she felt a drop of water on her back. She slowed the horse and looked up just as the swarm of raindrops descended. Ioret sat in the pouring rain, clutching the horse's tack helplessly. As she wiped the rain water out of her eyes her only thought was, "Oh, the irony…" With that, Ioret pulled up the reigns and continued on, riding blindly into the dark night. 

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A/N- La-de-da. Hope you liked it. Railroad Runners(R&R)!! Ch 3 coming soon^^. Maybe she'll actually do something… Oh, well. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Luv ya in the straightest way possible. See ya later.

Ja

~redtopaz


	3. A Colder Rain

A/N- Hey. Hi. Hello. Back with chappy 3!!! Yay! Sorry it took so long, but I'm determined to get this thing done, even if I'm out of college by the time I do!!! Although, I'm kind of torn between two endings. I could have the happy chirpy one or the sad/angsty one. The angsty ones more developed and I think I like it better, but if reviewers don't want another depressing story, I'll do the other one. So, drop me a line (Or two or three) and have a great Presidents Day. 

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Io rode out into the darkness, her horse panting from the exertion. Io looked around frantically. Mena's current location and as to why she hadn't caught up yet, were Iorets two prominent thoughts as her head whirled with confusion and fear. Io glanced about again, moving her horse in a stationary circular pattern. The animal chomped down on the hard metal bit, begging it's panicked rider to loosen the reins. Io ignored the steed and, making a rash and hurried decision, took off down the branching rode, heading rapidly towards the nearby forest. Ioret could hardly think. All she knew was the sound of her heavy breathing, the muffled noise of the horses muddy footsteps, and the stinging sensation as rainwater sloshed down her brow and into her gray eyes. Ioret slowly let the reigns out and pushed the horse into a full gallop. She felt more water drain into her already dripping boots as she pulled through a puddle in the road. Water rushed up against the horse's side and legs, sending droplets everywhere. Io veered off the rode, anxiously awaiting the shelter that the looming trees would offer. She gently brought the horse down to a run and then a lively walk as they entered the dense tree line. Io coughed as a new wave of shivers went up her spine. She could barely sit up right and it felt as though her muscles had shut down. She diagnosed it quickly. The freezing sickness, as it was called by her people. She was not sure of its proper name, but she knew it would make her ill for many nights. Io's thin clothes no longer offered suitable protection against the heavy rains and her freshly cut hair had come out of Menas sloppy braiding job and now hung loosely down her neck. Knowing she could not go further, Ioret used what strength she had left to stop the exhausted mare, tie it's worn and tattered reins as best she could to a slippery tree branch, and collapse in a ragged heap of wet flesh and dirty clothes. Just as Io faded into unconsciousness, she felt the rains lighten and saw; half wake, half sleeping, as the first rays of the new sunlight illuminated the canopy of trees. 

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Arwen stepped lightly over the sodden leaves, glad to be out in the sun once again. She had waited hours for the vile rains to end and she had taken the first opportunity to get out of Rivendell. She now stood in the forest –seemingly unworried about it's dangers- smiling contentedly, letting the remaining drops bounce off her shoulders as the leaves spilled the left over water out of the trees. Arwen brushed back her thick locks as she stepped over one of the fallen trees when she heard a soft scraping, almost like the sound of a tethered horse pawing at dusty ground. Shifting her direction, Arwen warily started towards the noise, curious as to what it might be. As she pushed aside a small cluster of saplings, she came upon the source of the noise. The first thing she saw was indeed a tethered horse, that is, if you could call the feeble knot in the tack "tethering". Arwen began to make her way towards the neglected horse -going slowly so as not to spook it- but stopped at the sound a light breathing to her right. She turned and looked down. A young boy of about fifteen, no, on second look it was a girl of about seventeen, lay crumpled in a heap on the forest floor. She lay on her back, face up, exposing her features to Arwen. Her smooth skin now looked pale even under its sun-kissed tan, and her lips had turned blue with the cold. In one swift motion, Arwen was kneeling at her side, the back of her hand pressed to the girl's cheek. The breathing was so light and staggered that Arwen was amazed that, even with her senses, she had heard it at all. The young humans skin felt cold and almost had a death-like firmness under Arwens touch. The young creature was certainly human, yet as to what race, Arwen was uncertain of. She did not have the regal features or hooked nose of those in Gondor, yet her coloring was not exactly like the fair tones of one native to Rohan, and she was certainly far to tall to have been from Mordor. That left only a few clusters of humans left. Returning her attention to the girls peril, Arwen hurriedly brought forth the horse, slung the girl across it and climbed on up behind her, kicking the weary animal into an urgent, yet not to demanding pace, speeding back towards her home. 

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A/N- Kind of short. Sorry. Hope you liked it. RailRoad Tracks (R&R). See you later.

Ja 

~Redtopaz


	4. Strong Medicine

A/N- Konbanwa!!! I've been snowed in to my own house and my school is cancelled for tomorrow, so what better to do but write!!! Oh, BTW, I know this is LOTR and stuff, but if any of you are really into Japanese Anime and Manga (just like me^^) and you have not read the Manga "Planet Ladder" by Yuri Harushima or "Chobits" by CLAMP, then I really recommend that you do. Now, It's published by Tokyo Pop, so it'll be in the original Jap format (a.k.a. backwards). I know that had nothing to do with LOTR, but I just had to tell ya^^. 

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First, she could smell. A scent of dried spices and trees, a very soothing combination, filled the air. She let herself breath in the sweet scents for a while before arousing her next sense, hearing. At first it was muffled and far away, as if someone were shouting at her from a great distance, but then it became clearer. Sharp, melodical tones and elegant, flowing words. She had never heard anything like it in her life. Despite the serenity and grace of the words, Ioret could detect the heated phrases and snappy punctuations. They were arguing. She heard the soft, light tone of a older woman and the slightly deeper, regal tone of a noble lady. As she listened she began to feel a slight itch upon her eyelids, and slowly, emerging from the deep sleep, Ioret began to open her eyes. The voices stopped. Ioret could already begin to see the faint outlines of two figures, hunched and leaning over her. Ioret blinked and began to see the soft shadows of color and the beginning traces of the sharply defined faces. One of the figures leaning over her, the one with the beautiful brown hair, began to speak to her in the common tongue. This time Ioret understood. 

            "I am glad to see you are awake. You had me very worried. Hypothermia is a very dangerous illness in humans." Ioret could only stare up at her. Her voice was beautiful, but it seemed, somehow, marred by the common tongue, as if not fully suited for it. Ioret attempted to raise herself up, but found she could not. It felt as if her body had been encased in an almost impenetrable layer of ice. 

            "W-where am I?" Ioret could barely hear her own words. It felt like she had not spoken in years. Io saw the faint traces of a smile form on the woman's face as she continued on, passing over Iorets question as if it had not been asked at all.

            "You are very lucky I found you, young lady. Your horse is fortunate as well. You are both very ill. You have indeed stumbled very far from home." Ioret felt the person on her left press a warm cloth to her forehead. She could see clearly now and noticed that she lay in a simple, yet, in it's own way, handsome room. The bright morning sunlight poured in from the tall, silver windows, illuminating the room, playing shadows across the bed sheets and over the walls. Ioret could see outside into the fairy-like streets of the city. The stones looked like diamonds under the cheerful sun, and the sound of a babbling brook could be heard through one of the open windows. Ioret could almost picture the crystal waters and little multi-colored fish floundering through the ripples. She could also see some of the citizens from her bedside window. Beautiful people with shining blond hair and milky white skin. Ioret envied them and thought scornfully on her own dark and swarthy looks. In the far corner of the room there was a table upon which lay a number of bottles and medicines filled with various concoctions. There were three people in the room as well, each as beautiful as those on the streets. The first woman, the one on her left, wore a white apron and cap. She had clear sky-blue eyes and straight blond hair that had been carefully tucked up under her hat. She held a white linen washcloth in one hand and a red dipping bowl in the other. Io took her to be the nurse. Next in the room was a man, also assumed to be another medical attendant. He too had light blue eyes and long blond hair, except his had been pulled back in a half-braided style. Ioret noticed that he had been spooning a dark purple powder from one of the containers on the table into a small, handle-less glass. The last figure in the room was the one that had spoken to Ioret before. She had moonlight like skin and her rich brown hair hung loose down her back, but what Ioret found the most intriguing feature on all of these people were their delicately pointed ears. Deep in the back of her mind, Ioret knew she had been told about these people, but given her present condition and current state of confusion, Ioret could only stare in awe. After fully taking in her surroundings Io gathered her courage and cleared her throat to ask another question.

            "How- how did you know I was a girl?" Ioret coughed out. "Was it that transparent?" She let out a sad sigh. Mena had been wrong. The disguise had not saved her. The lady smiled warmly and pressed a comforting hand to her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. 

            "You had fallen to a puddle, dear. (Would Arwen say "dear"???) Your shirt was wet." The woman said, almost giggling. Ioret almost chocked, completely embarrassed. She was sure that if she could have felt her face, she'd have been redder than a clay pot. Ioret let a shudder run down her spine as she began to feel the sickness setting in. The blond nurse noticed too, and -at a sign from the lady- rose and went to fetch the purple mixture the man had been preparing. With a little help from the pale-skinned nurse, Ioret managed to prop herself up against the headboard of the bed. She was all of a sudden very thankful for the thick, heavy dressing gown she had been changed into as the almost tingling sensation of a new wave of coldness flooded through her. 

            "Drink this." The nurse said. Her accent was thick and one could tell she was not accustomed to speaking the language. Ioret nodded slightly and brought the edge of the bowl to her lips. At first, it seemed tasteless, and she swished it about her mouth for a moment as if testing it. When she swallowed it felt like she was swallowing bubbles the way the liquid seemed to tickle her throat, and then the after taste came. It was all over her mouth. She could taste it everywhere. An almost unbearably fruity taste saturated her tongue, making a full out assault on her taste buds. She was so busy trying to clean out he taste that she hadn't even noticed that the chill had begun to edge away. Ioret coughed and swallowed in surprise as the nurse poured another gulp of it into her mouth. The pattern continued and Ioret stopped trying to clean out the taste after the third or fourth swallow. The nurse only removed the bowl when all off the mixture had been downed. The nurse stood and left the room, shortly fallowed by the man. Leaving Ioret alone with the brown-haired [I would have said "brunette", but it doesn't sound to Arwenish…] woman. Ioret spoke first.

            "Who are you?" she asked simply. The woman smiled and moved across the room settling her self in the window seat, her back against the glass.

            "Yes. I believe I do owe you that. I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond." She said coolly, tracing the stone lines in the wall with her finger.

            "And who is Elrond?" Ioret asked quizzically. Arwen halted in her tracing and jerked her head up, looking Ioret in the eye. When she saw Ioret's true and earnest gaze, she bowed her head and began to tap the cushion with her finger. To Io it looked as if she was trying to hold something in… Laughter? Ioret bit down on her tongue to avoid an angry outburst. Was she _laughing_ at her!? Arwen raised her head again as if trying to shake off something and spoke again.

            "Elrond is the Lord of this house and my father. Now, who are you?" Arwen asked, turning the interview back on Ioret. 

            "I am Ioret of the Dunlandian Bear Clan, daughter to Hagal." She said casting a timid glance in Arwen's direction. She had been surprised at he assertiveness in her voice and feared she had offended her. Seemingly unaffected, Arwen nodded.

            "Dunlandian… I see. And what might you be doing in Rivendell on a night such as last in a man's apparel?" Arwen asked amusedly. At this Ioret dropped her head and clenched her fists around the edge of the blankets. She had been hoping to avoid such a question, but seeing as to that it had come, her only decision now was weather she could trust this Lady Arwen. Would she believe such a runt as herself? Ioret was deep in thought when she felt something at her foot. She looked up to see that Arwen had changed positions again and was now sitting at the edge of the bed, gazing encouragingly at troubled girl. There was a alienated pause before Ioret began to speak. Her voice was soft and squeaky as if afraid of the very words.

            "To protect my self…" Ioret stuttered out. There was another silence before, as if suddenly breaking through some sort of terrible barrier, Ioret poured out her story. She sobbed and carried on, telling her quiet audience her accusation, her fear, her worry for Mena, her flight from the village, how she had become lost, and her pained thoughts on her situation. Arwen listened without interjection, a bit surprised at the girl's sudden openness. The young girl cried for a while after wards, but eventually gained control and brought her self to bring up her head and look at Arwen. Arwen was gazing sadly at her, fingering the end of her necklace.

            "Well?' Ioret held her breath, almost afraid of her response. How could she have gotten so carried away? Arwen seemed to jerk out of her thoughts. 

            "Well what?" She repeated, steadying her gaze on Ioret. The girl blinked.

            "Well, are you going to tell anyone?" Ioret swallowed hard. Arwen paused, as if debating, and then, slowly, shook her head no. Ioret gasped, taking in quick breaths of relief. She smiled gratefully up at the Lady Arwen, who -in a sort of melancholy way- smiled back. 

            "Thank you. Thank you so much." Ioret cried out, thrusting herself foreword and flinging her arms around her. Arwen stiffened, a little surprised at the girls actions, but gradually began to relax enough to give her a comforting pat on the back. 

            "It's alright." Arwen said. "We all have our secrets…" she trailed off, her finger clasped tightly around her necklace. When would she see him again? 

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A/N- Du-Diddly-Doo!! I'm finished!!! [Party horns go off in the background] Yay!!! Okay. First, I want to thank; Faoiltiarna Laoghaire and WeasleyTwinsLover1112 for their continuous support and Sherri for being my first Reviewer!!! Thank you all. I hope you enjoyed the chapter even though  Arwen was totally ooc… Ah well, I hope you can forgive me. Keep Reviewing and I'll see you next time.

Ja 

~redtopaz


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